Upon seeing the true, hard-hitting impact of COVID-19, it was clear venues would need to provide a new guest experience focused on health and safety. From placing an order to picking it up, each step would need to minimize contact and maximize sanitation.

The Bypass Product Team quickly took action and retooled the entire point-of-sale process. While building these new workflows and solutions, we virtually reviewed the proposed updates with over 100 prospects and clients for feedback. We tweaked our plans to address any concerns and ensure venues would have the tools they needed upon reopening.

New products and processes often mean new expenses and training. However, budgets would be tight considering the shutdowns, limited capacity, PPE and cleaning supply expenses. And when the venues reopened, the orders needed to be processed quickly to recoup lost revenue. Thus, we kept these key areas in mind while building new solutions:

• Cost
• Ease of use
• Operational efficiency
• Flexibility

Retrofitting Your Existing Set-Up for the Pandemic

We built low-touch fulfillment and pick-up processes that can be customized to each venue’s existing setup. We repurposed the hardware already in place at venues such as CHIT printers, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), scanners, digital menu boards, and more. New expenses could be kept to a minimum. Additionally, employees would already be familiar with the equipment meaning managers would spend less time training and troubleshooting new devices.

Maintaining Operational Efficiency

Beyond training hurdles, each step of fulfillment could be adjusted to ensure operational efficiency would not be compromised with these new, low-touch workflows.

Problem: Adding new ordering channels like mobile ordering could back up the kitchen.
Solution: Order windows can help throttle kitchen volume and set customer expectations.

Problem: Staff need to limit their contact with food yet fulfill orders quickly.
Solution: We created sticker CHITS with a QR code. The stickers label and seal orders in takeout food containers, secure the food from outside contamination and offer assurance of health and safety precautions to customers. Expo scans the CHIT to notify the customer that the order is ready via SMS text message, an order status board or KDS.

Problem: Crowds gather around the pickup area while waiting for their orders.
Solution: Whether an order is placed on a mobile phone, kiosk, register or handheld device, the customer can be notified its ready for pickup from anywhere via SMS text message or an order status board.

Problem: Order pickup methods need to limit contact.
Solution: Instead of yelling the customer’s name or order number, the customer will be alerted the order is ready from an SMS text message, order status board, or KDS. Our workflows support cubbies as well.

This low-touch fulfillment process adjusts to the challenges of the pandemic yet keeps orders moving in an organized and timely manner.

Flexibility to Find Your Venue’s Best Configuration

Uncertainty was a prominent theme in our conversations with venues at the onset of COVID-19. Everyone deliberated on how best to prepare with questions like:

• How will customers prefer to interact during transactions?
• What guidelines will the CDC place within our industry?
• How frequently will those guidelines and capacity limits change?

The unpredictable nature of guest behavior and ever-changing guidelines would require our solutions to be flexible.

In response, we developed plug-and-play tools that can be configured to the venue’s needs and adjusted quickly if needed. Furthermore, venues would have the flexibility to find the right mix of physical and digital POS as consumer preferences evolve over time.

Whether minimal or robust, all configurations seamlessly integrate with our omnicommerce solutions, keep operations moving quickly, and provide a safe experience for guests and staff.

Reach out to learn more and let us customize a solution that fits your needs and budget.